100. Viewing Party (Season 7,
Episode 8) – Erin and Gabe have everyone over to Gabe’s
for a viewing party of Glee – inspiring quite a bit of insanity. Michael
becomes petty (of course) when he realizes everyone in the office now thinks of
Gabe, and not him, as the boss. Andy is still jealous of Gabe – and ends up
taking a lot of ground seahorse that doesn’t go well. And some people are
really, really into Glee. It’s also fun for Jim and Pam to realize that Dwight
can calm their baby more than they can. It’s also nice to get out of the office
with the whole group – although the episode right after Christening seems like
an odd time to do one.
99. Boys and Girls (Season 2,
Episode 15) – Jan convenes a meeting with the women in the
office – admitting it’s in part to determine if there are any standouts there
(there are not) – and Michael feeling left out, gathers all the men in the
warehouse – and screwing up in two ways – the first being in his inability to
do the warehouse work, the second in perhaps endorsing a union. It’s all very
funny – and it really shows for the first time, what the difference between Jim
and Roy are – given the different ways they react to a possible graphic design
course being offer by the company to Pam. Perhaps not the most memorable one,
but a fine one just the same.
98. Drug Testing (Season 2,
Episode 20) – A joint is found in the parking lot, and
Dwight goes on the offensive, launching an investigation, that everyone just
shrugs off – except Michael, who recently attended an Alicia Keys concert, and
is concerned the clove cigarettes being passed around may not been legal.
Basically, a wonderful Michael and Dwight episode – with Michael pressuring his
protégé to give him clean urine, no matter the personal consequences for Dwight
– which really does work. Jim losing a jinx to Pam – and then the vending
machine being out of Cokes, meaning he has to go all day without speaking, is
also amusing.
97. Launch Party (Season 4,
Episode 3) – The website is
launching – and Michael believes he is invited to the big launch party in New
York – when in reality, he’s going to be stuck in Scranton at the satellite
party with everyone else. Meanwhile, Dwight decides to try and outsell the
website on its launch day – in an attempt to win back Angela, as Jim and Pam
make him think the website is talking to him. In the second half (because it’s
another hour long, that would be split for syndication) Michael takes a teenage
pizza boy hostage for refusing his coupon. Yes, it’s still probably better as
two episodes, but this one has continuity and works quite well.
96. Did I Stutter? (Season 4,
Episode 12) – Perhaps the most
Stanley-centric episode of the entire run – and as someone who loves Stanley,
this means there is little to complain about. Stanley has always been
sarcastic, but he raises the stakes here into insubordination this episode,
forcing Michael to respond – even though he doesn’t want to. The episode gives
Leslie David Baker a chance to do more than the sarcasm this time – and he does
disappoint, pushing Carrel to the type of place of awkward brilliance.
95. Frame Toby (Season 5, Episode
8) – Michael is still upset
that Holly has been transferred – and may be even more upset that Toby has been
brought back as her replacement. He decides to try and frame him as a drug
dealer. Pam gets passive-aggressive about a messy microwave – the kind of thing
that happens in every office. And Jim finally reveals his plans to buy his parents’
house to Pam (which, for the record, he should have done BEFORE he bought it).
Just an enjoyable episode from beginning to end – without ever rising to a
classic episode.
94. Valentine’s Day (Season 2,
Episode 16) – Michael’s tour of New York City is hilarious,
and his presentation to the new CFO is even better, and everything with him and
the other branch managers is even better – all culminating in showing what a
decent guy he can be, when he protects Jan. For the most part, the Valentine’s
Day stuff back at the office is a little more forgettable – although Phyllis
and the giant teddy bear is wonderfully funny.
93. Take Your Daughter to Work
Day (Season 2, Episode 18) – Anyone who has a daughter – and
Meredith, who has a son who has been suspended – bring their kids to work –
showing how the main characters deal with children. Jim is, of course,
absolutely charming and they love him. Dwight scares them. Pam cannot connect
with any of them. Ryan is terrified when Stanley’s middle school daughter
develops a crush on him – making the docile Stanley scream at him. And Michael
ends up bonding with, of all people, Toby’s daughter. Overall the episode is
solid throughout. What elevates it is the scene of Michael showing his video of
him being a “child star” – and it really is one of the saddest moments in the
entire series.
92. Nepotism (Season 7, Episode
1) – Everyone in the office hates the new assistant –
except for Michael, since he is his nephew, although he has yet to tell anyone
else about it. A fine way to start off season 7 with a funny episode – as the
nephew screws everything up, getting everyone mad at him, as Michael scrambles
to correct it – all of it leading to a spanking. It’s also the start of Dwight,
the landlord, acting crazy – and Pam decides to pull a prank on him. This is
the show easing back into its groove with an unambitious, but very funny,
season premiere.
91. Basketball (Season 1, Episode
5) – Michael challenges the warehouse guys to a
basketball game – bringing in what he thinks is his best players, ignoring the
talents of people like Kevin and Phyllis, in favor or Stanley – and then Jim
getting too competitive against Roy to impress Pam. All of this leads to
Michael, of course, taking things too far – and he cannot even stick the
landing, not making anyone work the weekend, which they like, by acknowledging
that doing so likely won’t save any of their jobs anyway. A fine episode.
90. Health Care (Season 1,
Episode 3) – Another solid episode from Season 1 – with
Michael having to pick a new, cheaper, health care plan knowing it won’t go
over well with the staff, so making Dwight do it to try and remain popular.
Highlights include Dwight reading out everyone’s ailments, trying to figure out
which were fake and not. This is probably the season 1 episode that best
utilized the wider ensemble cast – and its stronger for it.
89. The Secret (Season 2, Episode
13) – Michael reveals Jim’s secret “past” crush on Pam,
and it gets all around the office, making things super awkward for Jim, as
everyone reacts to it. The highlight maybe Michael and Jim going to Hooters –
at least in terms of the hilarious moments – and also the legitimately sweet
one where Jim lies to Pam about how the crush was in the past. One of those
episodes that maybe be necessary to advance some plot, and is solid all the way
around, without ever quite reaching classic status.
88. Two Weeks (Season 5, Episode
19) – Having quit at the end
of the last episode, Michael is now working out the string of his two weeks’
notice – and shockingly, he gets even less done than normal, while he tries to
get the Michael Scott Paper Company off the ground. The end of the episode is
great – Michael sneaking back into the office, crawling on the ground,
desperate and pathetic – and Pam just going for it. The climax is vintage
Office, the rest is just really good.
87. Christening (Season 7,
Episode 7) – The writers basically try to repeat some of
the awkward magic of other Jim and Pam centric milestone episodes – like the
two partners from season 6 about the wedding and the delivery – and while it
doesn’t hit the heights of either of those, it’s still lots of fun. Michael, of
course, doesn’t always handle these types of things well – and ends up joining
a mission trip to Mexico. A charming episode throughout.
86.
Manager and Salesman (Season 6, Episode 16) – New boss
Jo (Kathy Bates) doesn’t like the whole co-manager thing, and decides that
either Jim and Michael have to go back to sales – they both want the manager’s
job, until they realize the new commission policy means they could make more
money there. This leads to Michael as a salesman for a short period of time –
but he cannot be a man of the people anymore. It’s an amusing episode all the
way through – although I’ve always wondered if it’s basically just them undoing
what they did earlier in the season in promoting Jim in the first place.
85. Classy Christmas (Season 7,
Episode 11) – Michael finds out Holly is coming back to the
branch to replace Toby as he becomes a juror on the Scranton Strangler case. He
junks the office Christmas party, so he can throw a classy one the day Holly
arrives. One of the better later season hour long episodes – with Michael
trying so hard to impress Holly, that it backfires on him. It also has some
emotion, with Darryl and his daughter. And as 6much as I enjoy Jim pranking
Dwight over the years, I have to admit there is a sick thriller watching him
finally get his comeuppance here. The Office always had great Michael-centric
Christmas episodes – and even if this is probably a notch below the best of
those, it’s still an excellent episode.
84. Customer Loyalty (Season 9,
Episode 12) – This is probably
the most controversial Season 9 episode – because it’s the one where Jim
undeniably acts like an asshole to poor Pam. Cece has a dance recital that
night, and he’s supposed to be back for it, but has to stay in Philly longer –
and tells Pam to film it, who accidentally messes up. This leads to the final
phone between the two of them that episode, which leaves Pam in tears (and
brings Brian, the sound guy, to the rescue). Personally, I’ve always liked that
the office went there in season 9 – showing that even the seemingly perfect
couple goes through tough times (although, I would have liked the issues to
perhaps be more equally weighted – it’s pretty much all Jim’s fault). Still,
it’s a shocking office moment – and a great one.
83. The Promotion (Season 6,
Episode 3) – It is the first
episode of Michael and Jim trying to co-manage the branch, and they are
immediately given a challenge by David Wallace – who informs them that the
company won’t be able to give full raises this year – and so it’s up to the two
of them to determine what to do – a raise for everyone so small they’d barely
notice or find a way to reward some, and not others. Jim tries to be mature and
reasonable about the whole thing (but, I will say, I don’t agree with his
reasoning of giving raises to just the salespeople, for many reasons) – and
Michael does, well, what he does – and Jim finally understanding why perhaps
Michael has trouble making difficult decisions. Overall, a fine episode – but
it’s also kind of a repeat of when Jim tried to combine all the birthdays.
82. Counseling (Season 7, Episode
2) – Following Michael’s spanking of his nephew, he is
forced to attend counselling sessions with Toby – which of course he hates, but
if he doesn’t do it, it means bigger trouble. The Michael and Toby scenes are
great. The B and C plots are both good as well – as Pam decides to try and lie
her way into a different job, since she isn’t particularly great at sales, and
Dwight is refused business at the local mall – so Andy and Jim try and make him
into a proper gentlemen. That one is, admittedly, the kind of thing The Office
didn’t used to indulge in – but when it’s pulled off this well, it’s hard to
complain.
81. Koi Pond (Season 6, Episode
8) – Michael and Jim head out
on a sales call together, - and when they return, it comes to light that
Michael fell into a koi pond at the other office – much to everyone’s delight.
In the B-plot, Pam and Andy go on cold calls together, and everyone thinks
they’re a couple – and no matter their response, they take it too far. This is
a fine Michael episode – although it doesn’t really reveal anything new about
him – we already knew he likes to make fun of everyone else, but has the
thinnest skin of the office. Still, Carrel plays it well – as does Krasinski,
and the ending of this story is excellent. I also like the chemistry between
Helms and Fischer – something that didn’t get explored much in the show.
80.
Whistleblower (Season 6, Episode 26) – The
season 6 finale finds the story of the smoking printers getting out into the
press, and Jo wanting to know who leaked it – and there are no shortage of
suspects, and people who could have done it. It’s good to see Michael
interacting with Kathy Bates (who is probably at her best here) – and it’s fun
to see the other investigation going. I also like the final scene with Nick –
which kind of exposes how self-involved every is. It’s always fun seeing
Michael interact with the media as well. In terms of the legendary season
finales this show normally has, then no, it’s not quite up to the best. But as
a late season 6 episode, it’s about as good as it gets.
79. Secret Santa (Season 6,
Episode 13) – The Office does
Christmas episodes right – and this is another one that is just plain fun. Jim
tells Phyllis that she can be Santa this year – which angers Michael to no end,
who decides to one-up them. But everyone is the office is thinking of other things
however, as David Wallace has told Michael that Dunder Mifflin is being bought
– and they have no idea what is going to happen. It’s also great to see the
different people’s Secret Santa gifts to everyone – Dwight assembling his, and
Andy’s gifts to Erin going awry. This may be the least of all the office
Christmas episodes of the Michael Scott era – but it’s still an utter delight.
78. The Meeting (Season 6,
Episode 2) – Jim has a meeting
with David Wallace – to discuss getting a promotion to Branch Manager, while
Michael would also be promoted, but makes the mistake of keeping Michael in the
dark about it (he thinks he’ll mess it up – not thinking that he could mess it
up anyway, which he kind of does). There are some classic goofy Michael moments
(the cheese plate) and awkward – the conversations on the phone with David. The
B plot has Dwight and Toby trying to prove Darryl faked an insurance claim,
which is quite funny.
77. Customer Survey (Season 5,
Episode 6) – Dwight and Jim are very disappointed that the
annual customer survey results – which affects their bonus – come back and are
far lower than normal, leading to them to team up to figure out why. The scene
with Jim and Dwight on a fake phone call - when Michael decides to train them –
is one of those great, stand-out hilarious moments in the entire run. The
episode never hits those heights again – although Michael and Kelly in his
office is also great. Jim and Pam with very small blue tooth headsets are also wonderful.
And yet, the episode overall is strangely unmemorable – great moments elevate a
good to episode to a near great one.
76. Moroccan Christmas (Season 5,
Episode 10) – Phyllis is reveling
in her new-found power as head of the Party Planning Committee – seemingly
doing everything she can to anger Angela, who is powerless to react, lest
Phyllis reveals her secret affair with Dwight. Michael also decides that it is
time to stage an intervention for Meredith – who has been an alcoholic for
years. The whole episode is funny – but it’s another one that has a classic
ending, better than anything else in the episode.
75. Heavy Competition (Season 5,
Episode 22) – Dwight has always
been loyal to Michael – but that loyalty is tested here, when Michael wants
some leads, and Dwight eventually fights back – leading to an out-and-out
battle between the two for Dwight’s clients. It is another reminder of how good
Michael can be at this – he comes across as sane, as opposed to Dwight, who is
more than slightly crazed. It’s also funny to see Dwight in a full sleeve shirt
– complaining about his lack of mobility. With Dwight busy, Jim decides to mess
with Andy instead – which kind of does prove Charles’ point about him. It’s a
fine episode from beginning to end – and is probably bumped up a few spots
because of the cheese balls.
74. Job Fair (Season 4, Episode
13) – Michael takes Oscar, Pam,
and Darryl to Pam’s old high school for a Job Fair, and is shocked to discover
the cool kids don’t seem that interested in joining a paper company. Meanwhile
Jim, reeling from being chewed out by Ryan, takes his job more seriously (for
one episode) – going for a golf game to land a major client. The Job Fair part
is better than the golf part – although both work quite well, and I was quite
moved by Jenna Fisher in this episode – visiting her old high school, and it
really sinking in that she didn’t follow through on her art ambitions – leading
to that conversation with a graphic design firm.
73. Dwight’s Speech (Season 2,
Episode 17) – Dwight is the company’s top salesman – and
has deliver a speech, but has no idea how to do it. Michael tries to help, but
of course isn’t great even though he won the same award twice, and gave two
what he assures everyone were great speeches. But Dwight’s takes Jim advice –
and basically delivers a speech like Mussolini. It’s that extended speech which
is the comic highlight of the entire episode – following Michael being brought
low by falling on his face during his remarks. More of a standalone than
anything – but a good one.
72. Cocktails (Season 3, Episode
17) – Two sets of cocktail parties go horribly awry in
this episode – as Michael and Jan and Jim and Karen have them at David
Wallace’s house (as Dwight literally inspects the entire house) – while the
people at the office go to the famous Poor Richard’s – and this is when Pam
decides it’s the best time to tell Roy, who she has just gotten back together
with, about her kiss with Jim. The head office party is kind of a perfect
mixture – three very different comedic plots, Michael and Jan and the
awkwardness that comes with them, Karen playing a perfect joke on Jim, and
Dwight’s craziness – at Poor Richards it all just builds to that moment when
Roy explodes (although Roy’s brother, and the jet ski money has a nice payoff).
This is a filler episode – one that has to deliver a lot of information to
set-up later episode – but one that does that perfectly.
71. E-Mail Surveillance (Season
2, Episode 9) – The E-Mail surveillance aspect of this
episode actually doesn’t matter much – a rare instance where they seem to be
setting something up that could be great, and then abandoning it. What makes
the episode is the party that Jim throws – inviting everyone but Michael. It
shows a different side of Jim – different relationships between everyone, and
sees Michael at improv (and how bad he is) – and ending on a genuinely sweet
moment between Michael and Jim.
70. Gossip (Season 6, Episode 1)
– This is an odd choice
for a season premiere – not because it’s a bad episode, but because it feels like
a perfectly fine mid-season episode. Nothing much has changed over the summer –
except that they have a few interns for this episodes. The concept is that
Michael finds out that Stanley is having an affair, and he spreads that all
over the office, before he realizes it could really hurt Stanley if it got out
– so he spread rumors about everyone, including one that happens to be true.
The episode shows that Michael and Carrel can still be wonderfully funny and
awkward, and socially unaware – and it gives everyone in the ensemble gets
their moments. The episode is quite good – but like I said, a weird choice for
a season premiere.
69. The Search (Season 7, Episode
14) – Jim has to leave Michael in a gas station bathroom
because of an emergency – leaving Michael to wander the streets of Scranton
without his wallet or cellphone. Erin, Dwight, and Holly hit the streets in
search of him. We have seen numerous episode of sitcoms where one character
realizes that the other is perfect for them – but I’m not sure I’ve seen one
done quite this way, that leads to Holly’s finally relenting, when it’s clear
that the two of them are completely in sync. Also, it’s just funny to see Michael
interact with all the different people on the street, and to follow his logic
as he wanders around. The B-plot about the caption contest is fun as well.
68. Business Trip (Season 5,
Episode 7) – David Wallace wants to make it up to Michael
for transferring Holly – so he sends him (along with Andy and Oscar) on a
business trip – to Winnipeg, in November (which he acknowledges no one else
wants to go to). This is one of the sad Michael episodes – he’s really trying
to act as if he’s over Holly, when he really, really isn’t. The comic highlight
maybe Oscar and Andy bonding in Winnipeg – and drunk dialing Angela. Back at
the Office, Jim is excited that Pam will be back in a week – until she tells
him she failed a class, and will have to stay for another 3 months – leading to
their climax, which according to some is incredibly sweet, and others,
incredibly problematic. Why not both?
67.
Happy Hour (Season 6, Episode 21) – The
funniest episode of the second half of season 6 – this has the entire office,
and warehouse staff, heading out for happy hour so Oscar can get to know the
cure warehouse guy. It also features Pam – back for the first time since the
baby – inviting her friend along for Michael – which goes really well, until
they tell him it’s a setup, and he breaks out “Date Mike” – and things go
wrong. Overall, this is an episode with multiple plots – the date, Oscar and
the warehouse guy, Dwight, and Angela – and Isabelle – Andy and Erin, and all
of it works. Sometimes, the show needs to get out of the office to hit some new
notes – and this one nails it.
66. New Boss (Season 5, Episode
18) – Idris Elba’s first
episode – he comes into the role vacated by Ryan, and Jan before that – and has
zero patience for Michael’s nonsense, and also doesn’t seem to be impressed by
Jim – seeing him as a slacker. This is a classic Michael episode – as he gets
angrier and angrier – to be fair, he has reason to be angry – but handles it
like a child. Meanwhile, Elba is a deadpan delight as he handles everything. A
very good episode – with a classic ending.
65. Prince Family Paper (Season
5, Episode 12) – David
Wallace wants information on a family run paper company, who Dunder Mifflin
cannot seem to crack, and sends Michael to get the information – who takes
along Dwight. Michael wants to be a shark – a titan of industry – but that
family is so nice, so polite to him and Dwight, that he doesn’t want to destroy
them. Back at the office, this is the infamous Hilary Swank debate. Somehow,
everyone remembers the B-plot here, even though the A-plot is also wonderfully
awkward and funny. Just a really good episode all the way around.
64. Product Recall (Season 3,
Episode 20) – A disgruntled employee at the mill put an
obscene watermark on their paper, and it went to all their clients, putting
everyone into crisis mode. It is a great Michael episode – who believes that he
needs to get ahead of the crisis by holding a press conference to explain the
problem, even though the press doesn’t care, and the client he chooses doesn’t
want a simple apology. It also throws Jim and Andy together to go to a high
school – where Andy makes a discovery that you think is going to end up being
bigger than it is. It’s a funny episode – not a really deep one.
63. Night Out (Season 4, Episode
11) – Michael and Dwight head
to New York to party with Ryan – who we are surprised to see welcome them with
open arms, as he is clear doing a lot of cocaine, and is spinning out of
control. Meanwhile, the rest of the office stays late to get their work done so
they don’t have to work on Saturday – and then find themselves locked in the
office park. You can argue that this is a placeholder episode – one that sets
up Ryan’s downfall that is coming soon, in both the A and B plots – not to
mention poor Toby’s goodbye – but those episodes are still necessary, and
rarely are they this funny, and the episode subtly shifts the awkwardness to
Ryan, and even Jim, and not Michael.
62. A.A.R.M. (Season 9, Episode
22) – The penultimate episode
of the entire show – it really does set everything up for the great finale –
Dwight and Angela getting engaged, Andy humiliating himself at an audition, Pam
starting to regret Jim giving up his dream to continue to live in Scranton. The
plot of the episode is also just fun from beginning to end – as Dwight makes
Jim Assistant to the Regional Manager, and then tries to find Jim an assistant,
which of course will be Dwight. The whole thing culminates with two doozies –
the DVD that Jim makes for Pam, and then the whole office crew going to Poor
Richards to watch the first part of the documentary. The whole thing just works
wonderfully well.
61. Murder (Season 6, Episode 10)
– There is an all-day
meeting going on at corporate – and by the end they could all be out of a job –
so Michael decides to distract the entire staff by forcing them to play a
murder mystery game. It’s fun to see the range of bad accents, and how involved
everyone gets with it – the goofiness of it all, and also undercut by the
seriousness of the potential firing. It’s also sometimes fun to have Jim be the
stick in the mud. The closing moments is also wonderful.
59/60.
The Delivery Part I & II (Season 6, Episodes 17 & 18) - Easily
the emotional high point to the uneven second half of season 6, the Delivery
is, of course, about the birth of Baby Cece. The first half has Pam trying to
delay going to the hospital as long as possible so she can get an extra day in
the hospital, the second half is about the difficulties while there. One of my
favorite one-off characters is in the second half – Sarah Baker’s nurse, who
clearly doesn’t really like Jim and Pam (which is always fun to see). The first
half is just an out-and-out funnier though. Overall, a classic.
58. Branch Wars (Season 4,
Episode 6) – Karen, who became
regional manager of Utica after the breakup, tries to poach Stanley away from
Scranton. Michael decides to get revenge by pranking the branch, bringing
Dwight, and an at first unwitting Jim, along with him (Jim agrees to go,
because he’s worried how far Michael and Dwight will go). Back at the office,
Pam, Toby, and Oscar host their Finer Things club. It’s great to get some
closure on Karen – and see her successful (she also has the episodes best line)
– and it’s great to see Jim so awkward, and be reminded he didn’t exactly
handle things well. Overall, a solid episode from beginning to end.
57. Double Date (Season 6,
Episode 9) – One of the great
awkward episodes of Season 6 – Michael invites Jim and Pam out to lunch to
celebrate Pam’s mom’s birthday, who he is dating, but also decides he has to
dump her when he finds out that she is 58. This of course angers Pam – to the
point where she decides that for vengeance, she gets to slap Michael – to which
he agrees. By Season 6, they didn’t have as many episodes that make you both
cringe and laugh – but this one gets that mixture just right.
56. Golden Ticket (Season 5,
Episode 17) – Michael decides to
put Golden Tickets – giving 10% off your orders for a year – in random boxes –
and five of them end up with their biggest customer – the tickets offering no
restrictions or conditions. David Wallace is mad, and out for blood, and
Michael tries to get Dwight to fall on his sword – with a twist, of course. A
wonderful Michael episode, as we watch him squirm in numerous ways, a good
Dwight episode, who is torn between loyalty and self-preservation. Also, it’s
an interesting Jim episode – normally, he tries to be above it all, and is
amused/bemused by Michael – this is about as close as he gets to being pissed.
55. Shareholder Meeting (Season
6, Episode 11) – Michael
is invited by the board to be up on stage during the shareholder meeting –
where their shareholders are very angry, as they are pretty much on the verge
of bankruptcy. He’s just supposed to sit there as the one branch manager
turning a profit – but, of course, he cannot do that. It’s a situation full of
awkwardness – that just ramps up when Oscar, who has been ranting about all the
things they have done wrong, cannot find his voice when given the chance, or
Dwight who concentrates on the line management skills. I will say, I love
Michael telling off the CEO – even if it’s basically Michael at his most
petulant childlike – he’s still not wrong.
54. The Lover (Season 6, Episode
7) – Jim and Pam are back
from Puerto Rico – and Michael tells Jim that he is currently dating Pam’s mom.
When this comes out to Pam, she becomes a petulant child (delightfully so) and
the two of them continue as escalating game of awkwardness, putting the
everyone in the office in between. The B-plot – Dwight installing a listening
device in a mallard, that he gives to Jim is fun and funny – but this one is
all about Michael and Pam – and it’s a wonderful.
53. Michael Scott Paper Company
(Season 5, Episode 21) – Michael,
Pam and Ryan are now officially on their own – working out of a storage closet
in the office park, and driving each other absolutely crazy. Really, everyone
should have seen this coming – but it’s an absolute delight to see. Things get
even more awkward, when Pam tries to get her job back – and cannot, as this is
also the debut of Erin (Ellie Kemper) – as the new receptionist. But it also
ends on an absolute high point – as Pam makes the first sale of the new company.
Andy and Dwight both bonding, and competing, is amusing.
52. The Client (Season 2, Episode
7) – There is always a question of how someone like
Michael got to be regional manager in the first place – and this episode shows
perhaps how. He and Jan are meeting with a potential huge client – played by
Tim Meadows – and it is Michael, not Jan, who reads the situation correctly,
and is able to make the sale – showing that Michael can be competent as well
(and starting his relationship with Jan). Back at the office, the staff acts
out Michael’s screenplay – a gag they’ll repeat in season 7.
51. The Duel (Season 5, Episode
11) – Michael decides, right
before he leaves for corporate for a meeting, that the moment is right to
finally tell Andy about Dwight’s affair with Angela. This all leads to a
wonderful duel between the two of them – which is hilarious, especially for
Andy’s surprisingly brilliant strategy. Still, it all ends probably as it
should – the two of them not so subtly, but not directly, dumping her. Michael
is also surprised to learn that David Wallace didn’t call him in because he’s
in trouble – but because he’s done something right – and yet has no idea what
it is. The Duel is what you remember – and its wonderful – but it’s only a few
minutes.
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